The purpose of steam flaking is to make more starch available for digestion in a given animal and thereby improve the feeding efficiency (pounds fed/pound of gain). Properly steamed grains help an animal to convert insoluble starches into sugar. Transforming the grain into a thin flake ruptures a protein matrix encapsulating starch granules and allows a greater amount of starch to be utilized by the animal during the limited time it is passing through the digestive system.
In the case of cereal grains, the hot cooked starch granules are ruptured, making the starch more available in livestock digestion. This process increases the gelatinization value of the grain. Protein beans that have been steam cooked and flaked offer increased exposure of oil (fats), destruction of some protein inhibitors, and exposure of more surface area.
The product to be flaked is cooked in a steam chest for 20-150 minutes at 200-210° F. to allow moisture and heat to penetrate the kernel or the bean. It is then fed into a flaking mill with corrugated rolls. These rolls have a set gap clearance to draw the product into the rolls which flatten and imprint the flakes. The rolls are typically 18″ to 32″ in diameter and from 24″ to 68″ in length. The longer the roll, the greater the production capacity. Varying cooking times, flake thickness, and moisture uptake, will affect the final feed enhancement for various classes of livestock.
At a given peg feeder setting, the grain movement through a steam chest can vary markedly when the amount of steam being added is varied. The amount of steam being added at the different points along the steam chest is usually controlled by hand valves. Usually the steam valves are opened at the beginning of each day and the chest is allowed to heat up. When the grain is brought up to the desired temperature, the valves are then closed and the system is turned on to flake the grain. Then the operator watches the steam chest temperature and changes the steam valve settings to keep the desired temperature, and monitors the quality of the flakes and makes adjustments as deemed necessary. The amount of steam added is controlled manually by the mill operator.
Therefore, a need exists for systems and methods for automatically controlling steam flaking operations.